The present invention, in some embodiments thereof, relates to a system and a method for monitoring a pathological condition of a patient and, more particularly, but not exclusively, to a system and a method for monitoring pathological and physiological condition of a user using EM radiation.
During the last years, various methods and devices have been developed for diagnosing intrabody tissues using electromagnetic (EM) radiation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,061,589, published on Sep. 5, 2000 describes a microwave antenna for use in a system for detecting an incipient tumor in living tissue such as that of a human breast in accordance with differences in relative dielectric characteristics. In the system a generator produces a non-ionizing electromagnetic input wave of preselected frequency, usually exceeding three gigahertz, and that input wave is used to irradiate a discrete volume in the living tissue with a non-ionizing electromagnetic wave. The illumination location is shifted in a predetermined scanning pattern. Scattered signal returns from the living tissue are collected and processed to segregate skin tissue scatter and to develop a segregated backscatter or return wave signal; that segregated signal, in turn, is employed to detect any anomaly indicative of the presence of a tumor or other abnormality in the scanned living tissue.
In another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,838 published on Jul. 19, 2005, describes a scanner or imager that employs a plurality of microwave transmitters that emit a multiplicity of pulses, which are received by a plurality of receivers. An object or person positioned between the transmitters and receivers can be scanned and subsequently imaged in extreme detail, due to the broad spectral content of the pulses.
International Patent Application Number IL2008/001199, filed on Sep. 4, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a method for monitoring thoracic tissue. The method comprises intercepting electromagnetic (EM) radiation from thoracic tissue of a patient in continuous or intermittent EM radiation sessions during a period of at least 24 hours, detecting dielectric coefficient of the thoracic tissue by analyzing respective intercepted EM radiations, and outputting a notification indicating the change. The intercepted EM radiationis changed as an outcome of physiological processes as well as thoracic movements which occur during the period. The intercepted EM radiation may be reflections of EM radiation transmitted toward the thoracic tissue, EM radiation passing through the thoracic tissue, and/or EM radiation scatter from the thoracic tissue.
International Patent Application Number IL2008/001198, filed on Sep. 4, 2008, which is incorporated herein by reference, describes a wearable monitoring device for monitoring at least one biological parameter of an internal tissue of an ambulatory user. The wearable monitoring device comprises at least one transducer configured for EM radiation to the internal tissue and intercepting EM radiation therefrom in a plurality of continuous or intermittent EM radiation sessions during at least 24 hours, a processing unit configured for analyzing respective intercepted EM radiation and identifying a change in the at least one biological parameter accordingly, a reporting unit configured for generating a report according to the change, and a housing for containing the at least one transducer, the reporting unit, and the processing unit, the housing being configured for being disposed on the body of the ambulatory user.